For the first time Russian athletes representing the Moscow Polo Club took part in the Polo Rider Cup — an international polo tournament that recently took place in France. Gleb Fetisov, entrepreneur and philanthropist, in whose biography polo occupies a prominent place, was among the players.
This event became an important milestone in the difficult history of this sport in our country.
History of Polo in Russia
Polo was first played in the Russian Empire back in 1870 during the reign of Alexander II, and the first tournament took place in 1884 as part of the hippodrome opening ceremony in Peterhof. However, after the October Revolution, polo disappeared from Soviet Russia along with many of the players, who had either left the country, or perished in the civil war. The fact that polo was excluded from the Olympic program since the late 30’s also had an adverse effect on the development of polo in the USSR.
The decision to exclude polo from the Olympics in the XX century was not caused by a negative attitude towards this sport on the part of the IOC but due to the undivided dominance of Argentina, a country whose team’s involvement predetermined the outcome of all the international competitions. Interestingly, the situation has remained practically unchanged since then, and Argentinian athletes are significantly ahead of their competitors. Nevertheless, the Soviet sports leadership had no incentive to develop polo neither for ideological reasons nor reasons of prestige.
Polo in Russia Today. Mikhail Rodzianko, Gleb Fetisov and Others
In the 90’s the revival of polo began in Russia, but its development faced several difficulties, including the lack of sporting traditions. In addition, this sport carries high costs and can mainly be afforded by the wealthy people.
Currently there are only a few dozen active players in Russia. As a rule, these are well-known entrepreneurs, such as Gleb Fetisov, winner of the Russian Open Polo Championship, the Golden Cup of Russia, and the Federation Cup.
This year 12 clubs representing different countries competed for the main prize of the Polo Rider Cup, which is traditionally held in the French Domaine of Chantilly. The team of the Moscow Polo Club included Mikhail Rodzianko, Gleb Fetisov, and two French players — Simon Zavaleta and Edouard Pan.
How Gleb Fetisov’s Team Performed at the Tournament
On the first day of the tournament the athletes of the Moscow Polo Club met with the future winner of the tournament, the Swiss team Polo Park Zurich, but lost the match 6-11. Then, in a dramatic match, the Moscow Polo Club lost to the club from Hamburg 9-11 but won the next match against another German team from Dusseldorf. Next, the team lost to the much-fancied team from Argentina, tied the score with the Las Brisas Polo Club from Chicago, and eventually shared 11th place in the tournament ranking.
The Russian newcomers performed well against the regulars of the prestigious tournament, and we expect the Russian athletes to further improve their game at future international polo events.
